Guardian Angel
by Nacoutte
Summary: Rowan's tired of how his father acts toward him, but can he deal with the consequences when he does something about it?


Guardian Angel By Nacoutte  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors, but I do own Krystle, so if you want to use her, ask, it's that simple. Rated PG-13 for suicide, if you don't like that kind of thing don't read it, but don't say I didn't warn you.  
  
It was cold. Dark clouds covered the sky threatening rain. A wind whipped threw the cemetery, almost ripping the dark green tarp off the four poles holding it up. A small group had gathered under it. A priest stood at the front of a dark red coffin. He was reading out of a book in his hands. No one was listening to him. All his words going in one ear and out the other. A small handful of the boys classmates stood behind the chairs lined up next to the coffin. He didn't have many friends, but these kids didn't make fun of him like everyone else and they felt bad they hadn't gotten to know him when they got the chance.  
The chairs in front of the coffin, traditionally held for the family, where occupied by his four best friends, his true family. None of his blood relatives were there. His mother wasn't even on the same continent. She was off chasing some big story that in a month will be forgotten. Her cell phone long ago lost on one of her adventures. There was no way for anyone to reach her. She never was very much of a mother though. As soon as she could she went back to work, usually leaving him for days at a time when he was very little. Finally she just left all together, leaving just him and his father.  
His father wasn't there either. He was holed up in his lab. He had already left it for the week and it was wasn't likely he would again anytime soon. Since he never answered any phones he didn't have a cell and the answering machine at his apartment was full. No one was able to get a hold of him either. That didn't bother anyone at the funeral though; they didn't want him there. Had he shown up his friends would have likely attack him.  
His four best friends filled the chairs in front. They were the ones that were there for him the last couple years of his life. Sai was crying. His auburn hair moved as his shoulders shook. His eyes were blood shot, not only from the crying but lack of sleep. He was up all the night before making the dinner the few people there would be invited to attend. He didn't have to of course but he felt he should, and he didn't want to think about the last time he saw his friend.  
Kento was sitting next to him. He was picking at the bandage that covered his right hand. When he saw his friend, and Ryo shake his head, he punched threw the hallway wall. He had to be taken to the hospital. It took five stitches before they could wrap it.  
Ryo's eyes, wet as well, but the tears refused to fall. They darted all around the cemetery. Looking at the priest, his friends, even the wind blowing threw the trees but he couldn't look at the coffin. He refused to believe he was friend was lying inside and couldn't get back up.  
Sage was the last one in the line. His eyes weren't wet but they were bloodshot. He used all his grandfather's training to hold back the tears. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the coffin. He had made all the arrangement s for this day but couldn't believe it was really happening. Guilt swelled up and threatened to brake threw the stone mask he had put on but he held it back. Now wasn't the time to deal with it. He swallowed hard as the priest stopped talking. A switch was flipped and the coffin slowly moved into the ground. Sage had to close his eyes he couldn't see it.  
Sai held back a sob as the mound of dirt next to the hole was shoved in. Their classmates were slowly started to walk away from the site. A few gave their apologizes to his friends, and all walked away whispering. Sage could guess what they were all saying without having to listen to it.  
He knew all the rumors that went around school about his friend. Why Rowan was always wearing baggy, long clothes. Why he would wear turtlenecks when summer was coming, where the black eyes came from. Sage ignored most of it, knowing that commenting to the rumors would only make them worse. Rowan never let them affect him. He tried to act like nothing was wrong and go about his life, sore for a while, but otherwise unaffected. He hid it so well.  
It took his friends years to figure out what was going on. When they found out they were furious, wanting to go to the police, but Rowan wouldn't let them. He still wanted to protect his father, believing it was something he did to deserve the punishment. After coming home after a particularly bad night, Sage went to the police anyway. They said they couldn't do anything without Rowan coming forward. He refused, as Sage knew he would. The next month he was dead.  
Sage could see him slipping away from them. He wouldn't talk to them like he used to. He stopped coming right home after the visits and would roam the streets, sore and bloody. At first he would let Sage heal him as much as he could, leaving only faded bruises and healing cuts. But soon he didn't even want that.  
Memories started to flood in front of Sage's eyes. All the nights that he would sneak into their room, but always get caught. Rowan hated it when they fussed over him and got him cleaned up. He rarely showed the pain he surely had, only on the night when Sage was the only one to wake to the soft footsteps moving across the carpet. Only then, while cleaning the cuts and healing the dark blue bruises on his back, chest and arms, did he let the tears fall.  
Sage opened his eyes, hoping that would stop everything, but it only made it worse. He could see two men, standing over the hole with shovels, filling it. He looked down at his hands and finally fully giving in to relive the night his best friend died, killed not by the dynasty they fought so hard against, or even his hateful father, but by his own hands.  
Sage had been asleep. It was almost midnight and he usually was. Earlier that night the phone had rung, an unusual event in the house. It was Rowan's father, out of his lab for a night and wanting to have dinner with his son. Everyone in the house knew how he would come home that night if they let him leave. He reassured them that he would be ok and that his father had promised not to hit him anymore. No one believed him. It was clear in his midnight blue eyes not even Rowan did. He ran out of the house with nothing, not even an over night bag. He knew he wouldn't be gone that long.  
When he walked back into the house it was raining. He was soaked just from the walk to the house. His blue hair was plastered to his head but blood ran down his cheek from a cut under his eye. He couldn't move his left arm very well from when he got slammed into a wall. Both his back and chest were black and blue from the kicks he received when he was down. He couldn't breath right, one of his ribs probably broken. He had stayed, lying in the middle of the hallway, until he could breath again. Slowly getting up he walked into the living room to find his father passed out on the couch.  
He opened the door to the house he shared with his best friends and walked in, quietly closing it behind him. No one was up, waiting for him. There were occasions when someone was in the living room, wanting to help him. Even White Blaze was in Ryo's bedroom for the night. After kicking off his shoes he walked as quickly as he could up the stairs. Walking past the bathroom for the moment he went into the room he shared with Sage. He pulled a fresh tee shirt and shorts out of his drawer and walked back into the bathroom. As he shut the door he heard soft footsteps walking toward him. He knew he had wakened his blond friend.  
Ignoring the knock on the door he slowly pulled off his shirt, not wanting to move his arm anymore than he had to. As he tossed it over the curtain on the bathtub the door opened. Sage's eyes got wide when he saw his best friend.  
"Rowan." he said shocked. Rowan turned and looked at him but didn't say a word.  
"Here, let me help." Sage started to walk into the room but Rowan stopped him.  
"No, I'm all right. I can get it."  
"You cant move your arm. At least let me heal some of that." Rowan almost shut the door on him.  
"Let me get cleaned up first." Sage nodded slowly and backed up.  
"I'll be in the room." Rowan shut the door and Sage heard it lock. He walked back into his room, the whole way debating on wither he should wake the others. Finally deciding to let them find out in the morning he sat down on his bad and glanced over at his clock. 11:15:35, October 9.  
He put his head in his hands, trying to calm the rage that was threatening to surface. His hands started shaking at the thought of going after Rowans father. Finally getting his breathing and hands under control as he looked over at the clock again, 11:59:30. Thinking too much time had gone by he got up and walked to the bathroom. He knocked but didn't get an answer. After waiting a few seconds he tried the handle already knowing it was locked but figuring it would give Rowan the hint he wasn't going away. There still was no answer. He knocked loudly.  
"Rowan, open the door." Still nothing. Holding his breath for a second he couldn't hear any movement in the bathroom. An unknown panic started to fill him and he back up a step. Not caring what Sai was going to say about a broken door kicked it in. It stayed on its hinges but the lock was completely destroyed. The others walked quickly out of their rooms, worried about the noise. Somewhere in the background the grandfather clock in the living chimed twelve times, but no one heard it.  
"Hey Sage, what's going on?" asked Kento sleepily when he saw Sage standing in the hallway.  
Sage didn't respond, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him. Rowan was lying sprawled out on the floor. Blood covered the tile from his two cuts wrists. He was pale and from Sage was standing it didn't look like he was breathing. All his training was forgotten as he looked at his best friend.  
Ryo walked toward him, worried at the uncharacteristic look on the blond. As soon as he saw Rowan he dove to him, immediately putting pressure on the wounds. He yelled to Sai to call an ambulance. Kento ran toward them, stopping next to Sage. Ryo's hand was on his neck. Slowly he turned toward them, his usually tan colored face white.  
"I cant find a pulse." he said slowly. Kento stared at him in disbelief.  
"What? You have to find one." he said. Ryo moved his hand slightly, trying a few different places. He just shook his head and let his hand drop. Kento looked at Rowan for a second before punching the wall. His hand went straight threw the plaster.  
Sage jumped slightly as Sai touched his shoulder. He moved his eyes away from his hands. The two guys had done all they could and it was up to a machine to finish the job.  
"Are you ready?" asked Sai quietly. Sage nodded and stood up. All the others were in the car waiting. The priest was long gone and his classmates were on their way to his house, for a dinner. Sai walked ahead of him, slowly moving up the small hill toward the winding street that would lead them out. It was only one second to midnight on October 9 when Sage found his friend. One more second and he would have been 18 and lost to his father forever. He no longer would be a minor at his fathers call but an adult. He couldn't wait that extra second, so he died a child, one that beat the odds and helped save the world but a child nonetheless.  
Sage took a few steps away from his chair. Taking one last look at the tombstone he stopped. The sun had finally come out and it reflected off the polished black stone. Sage mouthed the words carved into it. He knew them by heart; he was the one that decided what it was going to say.  
"Rowan Hashiba 1986-2003." There was nothing else written on it. There were no words that could describe the friendship they had shared and no words to tell how much he was going to be missed.  
Krystle sat crossed legged on top the polished black tombstone. The dark green tarp that covered it earlier was gone and the pile of dirt had been moved back into the hole. The rain that has threatened all day finally fell and the wind blew harder then before. Krys waist length jet- black hair was free around her shoulders and shined a dark blue in the lightening. Neither the wind or rain touched it, they went right threw her. Her hair stayed motionless around her like a dark halo.  
She looked down at the mound of dirt under her, her pale, ice blue eyes narrowing. It was past midnight and she was not a patient person. Jumping off the tombstone she stretched. Her ribs showing just slightly under her black, sleeveless, wrap around leather shirt. It stopped just above her belly button in a point. Her black leather pants sat low on her hips and flared out slightly at the knees. Both had silver designs sown into the seams. Her boots were died black as well and laced up to her knees.  
She glanced back at the tombstone. All that was written on it was the boys name and the date he was born and died, nothing else. It was the shortest one she had seen in a long time. Her pale eyes closed and scenes from the young mans life flashed in front of them. She shifted threw them, ignoring most. Scenes of him as a baby, at school, his first party she didn't care about. She let a few of him fighting for his life against the demons come threw but most of those were ignored too. She concentrated on the ones she could relate to. Rowans father was always drunk, then striking him. Sometimes with his bare hands, other times he has a belt, and one time a pipe. All the times he hid in his room, hoping his father would pass by but he never did, and the beatings were always worse when he was hiding.  
Krys opened her eyes. She glanced around the cemetery; even with the clouds covering the moon she knew it was well past midnight. He should be have risen by now.  
"Rowan! Come on where are you?"  
"Who are you?"  
Krys spun around. The boy stood behind her a scared look on his face.  
  
"There you are. How long have you been standing there?"  
He blinked a couple times. "Who are you?"  
She smiled at him. "My name is Krys. I'm your guardian angel."  
"But I'm dead. Why do I need one now? Shouldn't you have been with me long before this?" He sounded angry.  
"You know you re dead. Most people don't know. You are smart. But that's not how this works. It may seem like you needed one before but you didn't. Everything will make sense later. But right now we have to go."  
"Go where?"  
Krys sighed. She studied him for a few seconds. He was wearing the black tux he was buried in. His blue hair was messed, like always, and a clump fell in between his dark blue eyes.  
"To see your friends. Questions are always good, but Rowan you ask way to many. I'm not going to hurt you. I can't, you're already dead. Besides I'm an angel, not a devil. You just have to trust me."  
"You"re dressed all in black. That's not very angelic." He crossed his arms over his chest. She stared at him for a second.  
"Do you make everything hard? I like the color black, but would white look better?" The black on her clothes and boots melted into white. "Is this better?"  
He nodded.  
"Good." She walked over and took his hand. Before he could ask anything else they disappeared in a line of light. They reappeared inside the entryway of his old house.  
"Whoa." He said. Krys smiled.  
"This is why you need me. You don't know how to use your powers yet."  
"I can do that?"  
"Yeah, you have a lot of powers and you'll learn to use them with time but not right now."  
"Why are we here?"  
"I have to show you something." She stopped in the living room and Rowan stood next to her. The living room was empty, the only light come from the kitchen.  
"Why do we have to see my friends?" asked Rowan. His eyes were on the kitchen, but no one could be seen in the doorway.  
"Because it's important you see how they are. You killed yourself Rowan. You may have ended your pain, but you made theirs worse. You need to understand this before you can move on." She walked into the kitchen, almost disappearing in the light.  
"Moving on? Where am I going?" He ran after her.  
Krys was sitting on top the counter, watching his friends. They were sitting around the table; all of their orbs were lying in the middle.  
"I don't know where you're going. That's not for me to decide."  
Rowan froze when he saw them. No one was talking. All of their muscles were tense.  
"Guys?" asked Rowan softly. No one moved. "Hey guys!" He walked closer to them. Still no one moved.  
"Rowan you're dead, remember. They can't hear or see you."  
He looked back at her.  
"Then why are we here. If I cant explain anything to them, make them feel better?"  
"Its too late for explanations, now you have to see the consequences."  
She moved her eyes back to the guys. Kento jumped up and slammed his fist into the table.  
"Why did he do that? We must have been able to do something!"  
"Be careful Kento. You'll brake the stitches. said Ryo.  
"I don't care, Rowans dead! After everything we've been threw he killed himself. Why couldn't he just come talk to us, why did he have to do that?"  
Rowan shook his head. "No its not like that. You just wouldn't understand."  
"Sometimes they don't have to. Just talking about it helps."  
He looked back at her in surprise. "How would you know? Just because you're an angel doesn't mean you know everything."  
She stared at him for a second. "We have a lot common Rowan."  
"Like what? Were both dead."  
"My father used to beat me too."  
Rowan blinked. "He did?"  
"Yeah, but it was years ago, before anyone could do anything about it."  
"So you killed yourself too."  
Krys shook her head. "He killed me. No one had found my body yet. But were not here for me." She pointed back to his friends.  
Sage had stood and was pacing.  
"We should have tried harder," he said. "We should have seen it coming. I shouldn't have left him alone."  
"They all feel guilty they didn't stop you." Said Krys looking back at Rowan.  
"But they couldn't of. No matter what they tried. I was so tired of living like that. Its really embarrassing. I couldn't look them in the eyes anymore."  
"They don't know that. Like you said, they don't understand and you didn't make them. Guilt can eat a human alive. I don't think they'll ever fully get over it." she said sighing.  
"But they have to, as time goes on."  
Krys glanced at his friends. "I don't know for sure. I cant see the future. But with the bonds you five formed during the wars I doubt they will. They'll eventually have to move out of his house, separate, the memories too strong and painful. They'll lose contact with each other, and a great team broken forever. But like I said, I don't know for sure."  
Rowan shook his head. "No they wont. They're too strong for that."  
Krys pointed back to the group.  
"So what should we do with these?" asked Sai pointing to the group of orbs on the table.  
"I think we should take them back to their resting places. Make sure they're there incase they're needed again." said Sage.  
"I think you're right." said Ryo.  
"Yeah." said Sai.  
Rowan stared at them in disbelief. "How can they just throw them away?"  
Krys shrugged. "What else are they going to do with them? You're the fifth element needed. They're nothing more than oversized marbles now."  
"But they can't. You have to stop them."  
"What am I suppose to do? They can't hear or see me either."  
"What if the dynasty comes back? They'll be defenseless. If they get rid of the orbs they don't have a reason to stay together anymore. They cant separate."  
"Calm down. That's not your problem anymore. They'll go on with their lives as best they can."  
"But..."  
Krys cut him off. "No buts. You're gone Rowan. All of this is out of your hands."  
"Then why am I here? Is this hell? Is that why I have to see all this?"  
"You're not in hell."  
"That's what it feels like." Rowan turned away from his friends. He couldn't watch them anymore. He didn't want to listen to their plans on putting the orbs back.  
Krys jumped off the counter. "So you don't think killing yourself was the best course of action?"  
Rowan shook his head. Tears were starting to fall.  
"If you could take it back, would you?"  
He nodded. "In a heart beat. I never thought it would affect them this much."  
Krys smiled and walked over to him. She took his hand. "Come on, let's get you home." They disappeared into the light again.  
Slowly Rowan tried to open his eyes. He had to squint hard against the bright light. His head pounded with a migraine and his whole body ached. He sat up slowly, his left arm feeling like it was broken.  
"My home is painful." he muttered finally getting his eyes fully open. He looked around. He was on the ground, a pile of blood around him. His cheek was cut open and he felt the blood run down it. It hurt to take a full breath, his ribs badly bruised maybe broken. The hallway he was in looked familiar, the white walls with the painting of cottages at different stages of the seasons. A confused look spread across his face.  
Krys laughed. Rowan spun around, then winced as pain flared up. She was back in her black clothes.  
"Where am I?"  
"You're at your fathers house."  
"So I have to spend eternity here?" he asked scared.  
Krys shook her head. "You didn't kill yourself. You're not dead. You were just unconscious from the pain. That was all like a dream."  
"A dream?"  
"Yes. Guardian angels step in right before some drastic happens. I was meant to make you see that killing yourself isn't the right solution to your problem. Did it work, or am I really going to have to take your spirit to the other side?"  
"No, I wont do that. I cant after what I saw. So none of that was real?"  
Krys shook her head. "What you saw was a good possibility of what would have happened if you kill yourself but its not for certain."  
"And you'd still be the one to take my over to the other side?"  
"Im your guardian angel now, you're stuck with me for the rest of your life."  
He nodded. "So you didn't get this second chance?"  
Krys sighed. "No. I do this now."  
"If you tell me where you're body is Ill call the police so you can get a proper burial."  
"I cant. Don't worry about me Rowan. Live your life. Enjoy it. And remember Ill always be watching out for you." She disappeared into the sunlight coming into threw the windows. It was morning already. Slowly he stood and walked out of the apartment, his father still passed out. He got into his car and drove toward his house, determined to never let the dream come true. 


End file.
